Multi-sectoral platforms for planning and implementation- working paper

Multi-sectoral platforms are processes (which often become institutionalized bodies) drawing together representatives from different sectors to make decisions. They are convened to harness the benefits of collaboration in tackling tricky planning problems – often that span more than one sectoral jurisdiction. Examples include platforms to address planning agendas around climate change, food security, biodiversity conservation, timber legality and so on. Many of these platforms have nested processes from international level right down to local level. Forest farmers have to integrate all these different agendas on their land - while chasing better and more sustainable livelihoods. They therefore have to engage with such platforms to ensure that there are coordinated and enabling policy incentives for sustainable business – rather than a mish-mash of contradictory and bureaucratic demands placed on them.

This report introduces multi-sectoral platforms, why they are needed, and what challenges forest farmers face in engaging with them. It also highlights six country examples of how a multi-donor programme, the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF), has been working to improve forest farmer engagement in such platforms (in Gambia, Guatemala, Liberia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Nicaragua). It draws some initial lessons about how programmes such as FFF can do a better job in facilitating such engagement to achieve solid impact.